ISSUE
The truck carrying your freight has been inspected at a roadside government inspection station, and has been found to have significant safety defects.
As a result, the truck has been placed “out-of-service” by officers at the scale compound, and will be held there until repairs have been completed and the truck re-inspected and determined to be in a mechanically safe condition to operate on public highways.
ACTION
- The carrier will advise us of the situation, and we will advise you.
- The carrier will make arrangements to have the truck repaired: this may take only an hour or so, or it may take several days.
- The situation is similar to a truck that has broken down and is at a garage in need of repair, except these repair have to be made in a parking lot at the inspection station, using only portable equipment and jacks. It may be that only a temporary repair can be made at the roadside, and that the truck will have to be moved to a shop for a permanent repair, or that the truck has to be towed.
- Based on input from the carrier, we will confirm a new delivery ETA with you.
EXPLANATION
Commercial drivers are required to inspect their trucks for obvious defects every day, and must have safety-related defects repaired before proceeding. However the driver is not required to be a mechanic, or to carry diagnostic equipment or repair tools.
So it is entirely possible that defects will be found government during scale inspections (which are usually performed by an officer with mechanic’s training). Such defects may have been invisible to the driver, or they may have recently occurred, in the hours and miles since the driver’s most recent inspection.
When safety defects are found, the officer has the authority and the responsibility to take the truck off the public highway until repairs are made, right at the scale’s compound, and are then re-inspected.
IMPACT & TYPICAL RESOLUTION
Your delivery will be delayed until after the truck has been repaired: your delivery will almost assuredly be delayed at least one day, and perhaps as long as one week. As with a truck repair at a repair shop, there is little opportunity to use a replacement truck, or to send a rescue truck.
The required repairs are arranged and completed at the inspection station, and the delivery is delayed 1 – 2 days.